As far as the visual concept, there are numerous examples of art like this where, paradoxically, the art looks like it is creating itself. The most famous of these is probably Escher's "Drawing Hands", where two hands are apparently drawing each other into existence on the page.

Here, we see the artist apparently painting himself - and, perhaps, everything around him - into existence at the same time as he paints on the canvas, and he also becomes part of the canvas that he is painting on.

As far as the idea alltelleringet is trying to communicate, as he says in the comment section, normally we must satisfy the "lower needs" in life (shelter, food, health.. existence!) before we can start to satisfy the "higher" needs (architecture, art, sport, etc - the refinements of the lower needs). The artist in the photo has begun the other way around: he has to paint first, satisfying the higher need of art, before he can exist properly and satisfy his lower needs.